Supercomputing may revolutionize colonoscopies

Massachusetts General Hospital is using HPC technology to perform colonoscopies that are less expensive, less invasive, and safer than those using traditional methods. In a nutshell, the application allows doctors to do a virtual colonoscopy, allowing patients to skip the unpleasant colon cleansing preparation using laxatives and subsequent insertion of the miniature camera under sedation.

In this case, the patient need only swallow a small amount of contrasting agent and then undergo a CT scan. A software imaging tool from a company called VectorForm is able to detect pre-cancerous polyps or actual malignancies even in the midst of all the fecal matter. The whole computing solution is built using Microsoft's HPC platform running Windows 7, Microsoft's .Net 4.0, Intel's Parallel Studio 2011 developer tool suite, and imaging tools from VectorForm.

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profits over the past five years, has boosted the pay of board members and top executives while sticking...